Paramount Plus Price Increase Set for Early 2026

Paramount has announced another price hike for its streaming service, Paramount Plus, slated to take effect in early 2026. The company revealed these changes during its earnings report on Monday, specifying that US subscribers will see increased rates startingJanuary 15th, 2026.

The ad-supported Essential plan, currently priced at$7.99 per month, will rise to$8.99 per month. Similarly, the ad-free Premium plan, which costs$12.99 per month, will move to$13.99 per month. Both tiers are seeing a$1 increase.

According to Paramount, these adjustments are intended to "fuel continued reinvestment in the user experience and deliver an even stronger slate of programming." This marks a familiar trend for Paramount Plus, which, like many other streaming platforms, has implemented price increases on an almost annual basis. Prior hikes occurred in2023and again inJune of last year, with recent increases also affecting subscribers inCanada and Australia.

The price adjustments come just months following the completion ofParamount's merger with Skydance, a period that has initiated significant internal restructuring. These shifts have includedwidespread layoffsand the controversialappointment of The Free Press founder Bari Weissto lead CBS News. Furthermore, Paramount has mandated that employees return to the office full-time, five days a week, beginning in January.

Despite these internal changes, Paramount Plus has shown subscriber growth under Skydance’s initial ownership, adding1.4 million subscribersto reach a total of79.1 million. The company also secured a substantial$7.7 billion dealto bring live UFC fights to its streaming platform.

Beyond the price increases, Paramount also revealed plans todiscontinue free trialsfor Paramount Plus and is actively "reviewing discount practices." In a push for technological advancement, the company intends toupdate the underlying technology stackfor both Paramount Plus and its free, ad-supported service, Pluto TV, aiming to boost performance. Paramount is also exploring the integration ofartificial intelligenceto enhance personalization and recommendation features for its users.